A family-owned daily newspaper serving Riverton, Lander and Fremont County, Wyoming since 1949

Wyoming Indian Elementary School principal Owen St. Clair, Wyoming Indian boys basketball coach Craig Ferris and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan shared a laugh while they worked the camp. Photos by Randy Tucker

Secretary of Education enjoys basketball camp

Aug 9, 2013 - By Randy Tucker, Staff Writer

Arne Duncan played college basketball at Harvard and had a four-year pro career in Australia.

United States Secretary of Education Arne ...

There is more! Read the rest of the story - subscribe today!

Arne Duncan played college basketball at Harvard and had a four-year pro career in Australia.
United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan worked with Wyoming Indian head boys basketball coach Craig Ferris and Wyoming Indian Elementary principal Owen St. Clair at a Nike N7-sponsored basketball camp at St. Stephen's High School on Thursday afternoon.
Duncan and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell were in Fremont County for an educational summit at Central Wyoming College and traveled on to the Wind River Indian Reservation for the camp after the summit adjourned.
Duncan is familiar with the basketball court. As a player for Harvard University, he had an excellent collegiate career and had a tryout with the Boston Celtics. He played four years of professional basketball in Australia before beginning his education career.
Nike N7 chairman Sam McCracken organized the event with the help of local organizers and worked the camp as well.
Former Lander Valley High School basketball player Tahnee Robinson is an N7 ambassador. She worked the camp and spoke to the campers about the challenges of playing at the collegiate level.
Duncan was actively involved in drills and ran an organized scrimmage at the end of the camp. Jewell took part in the drills and spoke with students individually.
Bill Mendoza, the executive director of the White House Initiative on American Indian and Alaska Native Education works directly with Duncan and took an active role in the camp.
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation native is a familiar to Fremont County independent basketball, playing in many tournaments over the years in gyms across the Wind River Indian Reservation.
After working with the students Jewell and Duncan moved on to Arapahoe for a ceremony honoring outstanding students on the Wind River reservation.